https://my.bsomusic.org/overview/19601

PROGRAM

Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Denis Kozhukhin, piano

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 4
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 4

ABOUT

Experience the intensity and emotional depth of two composers profoundly influenced by the tumult of Soviet Russia. Pianist Denis Kozhukhin, hailed as a “firebrand” (Chicago Tribune), dazzles in Rachmaninoff’s exhilarating Piano Concerto No. 4 and Shostakovich’s gripping Symphony No. 4 delivers raw power and emotion.

• Russian-born, Belgian pianist Denis Kozhukhin, first-prize winner of the 2010 Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition, is at the forefront of his generation: "Even in a day when keyboard virtuosos are thick on the ground, Kozhukhin is special." (Chicago Tribune).

• Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 4 combines the fiery virtuosity of his previous works with influences from jazz, most notably the music of George Gershwin.

• Though completed in 1936, the first performances of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 were famously cancelled after attacks on his music by Soviet Authorities, most notably Joseph Stalin. The work would not be premiered until 1961.

Thursday, January 29, 2026 7:30PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Saturday, January 31, 2026 8:00PM, Music Center at Strathmore

Sunday, February 1, 2026 3:00PM, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall